Liquid gauge



April 24, 1928 w. c. STARKY LIQUID GAUGE jileipril e. 1925 INVEN TOR wuz/,vn C. Sra/fn ATTORNEYS.

v20 tank.. Fig

taken through the connection of the tubes' Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

' UNIT-w f WILLIAJSI: cammen-STARKEY; "ou marmite, 7 tIQUIneAUGnQ I .appiicatipn'med Ap'rii s; reza 'serial 1ra-21,112;

This invention pertains to a remote indicating device for a liquid container, particularly for'indicating the amount of gasoline contained inthe rear tank of an automobile 5 with the indicator placed conveniently on vthe dash board.y

The` object of' this invention is to improve over remote indicating devices of this type by providing therein a `suitable moisture l trap- 1, whereby any moisture finding its wa tot e control device will'not affect the rea ling'.

The full nature ofthe inventionV will vbe understood `from the accompanying drawl ings vand the following descri'ptionmand claims:

In the drawings, Figure v1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the indicator mounted-` on a vehicle. andy conneetedwith the gaoline 2 is a central vertical section with `the gasoline tank and the indicator mounted on the dash board of the vehicle.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the indicator.

In thedrawngs lthere is shown a vehicle bodyllf) having agasta'nk 11 on the rear end" thereof, and an instrument board 12.

Mounted on the instrument lboard there is the usual instrument 13 having-a verticallyv extending opening l14C with indicatingr marks A positioned at the side through, there is al glass tube y15 open at both end's through'which' a colored indicating. liquidin the passage 16 may pass. Said' liquidr may preferably be of a red colored,

glycerine or some suitable compound of that character. There is provided at the top of the tube a fitting 17 and vat the lower end thereof a fitting 18 which, when connected with the tube,gives it the effect of a U-tube. Under ordinary conditions. wherein there is atmospheric pressure at both ends of the tube, the liquid will stand at the same depth in both arms of the U-tube, or, as shown herein, in the fitting 18 and the passage 16y -to the bottom of said tank thereof. Mounted behind said opening so as to be visibletliere-A the position of ing tubeL 21.'k The pressure-'tube 22 is connected at one end with the fitting 17 andthe compensating tube is connected at one end withl the fitting 18. As shown herein, `both tubesextend rearwardly tothe gasoline tank adjacent each other so as to be; of the saine length and'rexposedr to the-'same variations in tenfiperaturel at the sainel place. In practice said tubesv maybecontained'E within a single tubular covering, notv here shown.

Mounted in the gasoline tank vllthereA is a protective casing 23v adapted toy screw in the top of the tank; and provided with a head 24,fsaid casing extendingjsubstantially 7u and being provided near the bottom with'the orifces'25 vand near the top withthe orifices 26 through bers 27 and 28, r'espectively,'mounted on the under side o said head. A tube 29 extends upwardly into the trap-28 and downwardly 80 to a point adjacent' but slightly spaced from the bottom* ofthe casing 28.. A Utube`30" has one end connected' withfthe-trap 27`and extends down to a point adjacent the bottoni ofthe casing, and has its other end connected "with the passage through the cap 24'l which may be gluggml u p and'closedby a plug 315'* `F rom the foregoing it will be observed that the casing with the head' 24 and the tubes 29andI 30,'as wellas the traps 27 and 28"and' plug 31", may, be vbuilt as a unit andv readily-inserted in a suitable 'opening'pro-. vided in the top of the gasoline tank, after which the tubes 21 and 22 may be readily connected therewith. .95 The traps 27 and 28y may be filled with` some suitable moisture absorbing material, such as calcium chloride, for trapping and absorbing any moisture having a tendency to pass into the tubes 21 and 22. This has 100 the effectof avoiding variations in the reading through said tubescontaining moisture having a different coefficient of expansion from air. The U-tube 30 is partially filled with a suitable liquid through the plug 31 105 which will compensate for the cushion effect produced by the gasoline extending upwardly in the tube 29. The quantity of liquid poured into the U-tube 30 will also adjust the indicating liquid con- 110y tained in the U-tube formed by the tube 15 and fitting 18. y

After the instrumenthas been installed and the connections madefwith the tank empty, nonvolatile, non-freezing fluid is poured-into the U- tube 30 until it compresses the air in thetube-21 sufficiently to cause the indicating liquid contained in the tube 15 to read Zero or empty. Thereupon, when the J[ank is filled with gasoline, the gasoline will pass through the ports 25 and rise in the tube 29, compressing the airv in the tube 21 sufficient to overcome the air pressure in the tube 22 and force the liquid contained in the fitting 18 downwardly, thereby forcing the indicating liquid in the tube 15 upwardly to the proper reading. As the level o the gasoline in the tank rises, the level in the tube 29 will rise and the liquid in the fitting 18 will be forced downwardly so as to cause the indicating liquid in the tube 15 to rise against the pressure contained in the tube 22.

In event the tubes 21 and 22 become warm, their air capacity being equal, the air contained therein will be expanded to an equal degree so that the pressure exerted by such increase in temperature will effect in "a like manner both ends of the liquid column in the tube 15 and fitting 18 other and, therefore, have no edect upon the level orl reading indicated thereby. i The same situation will follow when the tubes become cold and the air contracts. In order to offset the cushion eiiect of the gasoline contained in the tube 29, upon the expansion or contraction of the air in the tube 21, a cushion is provided for the tube 22 by the liquid contained in the U-tube 30. Furthermore any variation in the pressure or partial vacuum in the tank 11 will be compensated for, since such pressure being exerted upon the tube 21 through the lower endoof the tube 29 will be exerted in a similar manner upon lthe tube 22 through a vent 32 in the U-tube 30. It will, therefore, be apparent that such compensation is provided throughout the device as -to prevent inaccuracy or misreadings so as to oliset each a remote liquid indicator comprising a U- tube remotely positioned from said tank and containing an indicating iuid therein, a pressure tube connected with one end ,of said U-tube and extending into said tank, a trap associated with said pressure tube, and moisture absorbing material positioned in said trap for catching and absorbing moisture passing therethrough and preventing its entrance into said tube.

3. The combination with a liquid tank, of

a remote liquid indicator comprising a U- tube remotely positioned from said tank and containing an indicating fluid therein, a

pressure tube connected with one end of said U-tube` and extending into said tank,a compensating tube connected to oi said U-tube and extending substantially parallel and adjacent to said pressure tube, a U-tube extendingiinto said tank and communicating with said auxiliary tube and being provided with a closure` at one end and a vent hole, a cushioning liquid contained in said last-mentioned U-tube and a moisture trap associated with said pressure and auxiliary tubes forv preventing moisture 'from entering therein.

In witness whereof, I .have hereunto a'ixed my signature.

WILLIAM oAnLEToN STARKEY.

the other end Y 

